If your desire for the perfect pair of designer glasses that embody your love for art and creativity has yet to be satiated, look no further than J.F. Rey’s Pixel collection, a line of totally bold and innovative frames that get their inspiration directly from the world of graphic arts. The two-tone styles are treated with a unique photoengraving technique, according to the French brand, that results in a “rich, polished finish that fuses color gradations and pictorial asymmetrical patterns directly into the stainless steel.”

This frame features upturned rectangular lenses surrounded by a turquoise and green patterned frame, which dips in the center for an angular look, or more of a futuristic cat-eye silhouette. Two-tone frames are typically move in a vertical gradient, and that’s why we love this pair of JF Rey 2431 eyeglasses. The colors move horizontally and invert along the way, something we’ve never seen before! And this photo doesn’t even do the bright colors justice, so check out the frame in action below:

Aren’t they fantastic? This photo is from a past SILMO event, and she is positively glowing! This frame stands out so beautifully against her dark features and really emphasizes a love and appreciation for art. The 2431 is certainly not a style for the timid. We recommend this pair of JF Rey glasses to anyone who wants a great way to stand up and shout “This is me!” (of course, without all the shouting ).

It’s finally here! Our Fall 2013 Lookbook has arrived and we are so excited to share it with you. As we mentioned in our preview, we worked with five of Boston’s best fashion bloggers to bring you the hottest eyewear and sunwear styles of the season. It was a great way to be involved with our local community and we can’t wait to do it again!

Below, you’ll see Etnia and Oliver Goldsmith sunglasses, Woow eyeglasses and many other designer styles, starring Holly of HollyDolly, Lindsey of L’s Fashion Dish, Kelsey of Tickle Me Pink, Lei Ann of Lei Ann…Off Duty and Kristen of The Boston Fashionista. We found some great spots around Brookline Village for the shoot, and thankfully it happened to be a beautiful day outside!

Photographed by Stephanie Peterson
Lookbook by Kristen Ciccolini

Many of these styles have several more colors available than are shown in the Lookbook. To see more, click the shopping cart button for the frame you’re interested in, and you will see the other colors available on the product page.

To emphasize our point in the last blog post that just because a frame is within a men’s or women’s collection, it doesn’t mean it only flatters men or women, we present you with this photo of Harry Potter himself Daniel Radcliffe wearing a pair of Robert Marc 677 sunglasse – from the women’s collection!

Now that the actor has hung up the cape and wand for good, he’s looking pretty stylish these days, especially with his choice of accessories. With such dark features, the lightness of the Vintage Crystal acetate frame adds contrast that really makes the sunglasses stand out. The complementary tortoise pattern along the arms rounds out the whole look as well.

This frame has a great retro look, with its rounded grey lenses and wide keyhole bridge. The arms feature the brand’s signature hinge design as well, with the silver strip around the temple and a silver dot accent on each side. The 677 is also available in Vintage Tortoise with gray lenses, Matte Tortoise with brown lenses, Amber with gray lenses and tortoise arms, and Clear Gray with gray lenses and black arms.

So that settles it – don’t be afraid to peruse the men’s section if you’re a lady, and vice versa. You just might find the most flattering style for you!

We had a beautiful first day of fall in New England this weekend – a warm, sunny day with a crisp breeze, hot enough to wear our summer clothes but with reminders that the cooler weather is fast approaching. Many people don’t think they have to wear sunglasses when it’s cold out because the sun is not as strong (that’s why you’re cold, right?). Wrong! The sun may not be warming you up, but it sure is reflecting a lot of light, especially when the snow starts to fall, so it’s time to stock up on your fall designer eyewear!

Our friend Jennifer found her perfect pair for fall, a Matte Vintage Tortoise pair of Robert 657 sunglasses in color 186. The frame is from the men’s collection, which has more structured features than the women’s line with its rectangular silhouette and minimal curves. This type of frame is flattering on faces with soft features by adding angles. (Which brings up a good point, just because a frame is in a men’s or women’s collection, that doesn’t mean it only looks good on a man or woman!)

We think Jennifer looks fantastic, and she picked out a timeless pair of Robert Marc sunglasses that will be stylish for many years to come. The tortoise pattern is a classic look, with details in the hinge that make the designer instantly recognizable. The 657 is also available in Nero, Tortoise, Amber, Matte Ashwood, and Vintage Crystal.

Transition lenses, or the lenses that darken when you’re in the sun, are enhanced with a photochromic treatment that allows them to become tinted when in contact with ultraviolet light. You may have seen this style of lens before – on friends or even on some famous faces, such as celebrity chef Robert Irvine. But how does it actually work?

The photochromic molecule used in the lens treatment has two asymmetrical halves connected by a central carbon atom, which remains clear when you are indoors. When the molecule comes into contact with ultraviolet light from the sun, the carbon bond is broken, allowing each half of the molecule to rotate and be on the same plane. This is how the lens becomes tinted.

These lenses are not to be used in place of proper polarized sunglasses if spending extended time outdoors. Yes, the lenses to tint to help block UV light, but it is important that you stay safe in longer periods in the sun with stronger eyewear.

Photochromic lenses can be fitted into just about any frame, so if you’d like to keep your current glasses and switch to transition lenses, or add them to your brand new pair of designer glasses, you can!

If you have any questions about transition lenses, please comment below! We are happy to help.

What an honor it was to have Thomas Lafont at Vizio Optic on Monday! He and the Lafont family came together to celebrate the North American debut of their Fall/Winter Rendezvous eyewear collection, featuring a stunning range of designer eyeglasses and sunglasses colored in wildlife-inspired patterns, silhouettes harkening back to mod fashion and much more.

Above, Galina stands with the Lafont family after a successful trunk show at our Brookline store. Our visitors got to explore the entire line of Lafont eyewear, permanent frames along with the brand new selection, and be styled by members of the Lafont team. Representatives from all over North America came to enjoy the event and work with customers as well, an exclusive opportunity for our community!

Rendezvous brings the designer’s brilliant and bright wildlife-inspired prints to its metal frames, with all of the same passion and detail found in the acetate collection. The range also features an homage to 1950s Paris, with mod shapes and engravings that truly have a mid-century appeal.

Lafont Madeleine eyeglasses come in gold, blue, taille, green and the above red, with a striped pattern throughout its laser-cut frame. The rectangular silhouette flares slightly along the brows, which extend to top-set arms that feature the same exotic design.

Lafont Mayfair Eyeglasses is also laser-cut with a pattern of swirls along the outer edges, while blue and purple leopard print color the rest of the frame. Mayfair is also offered in gold, orange and pink.

These and more were on display at Vizio Optic on Monday. If you missed the event, take a look at the photos below for a recap of the fun evening.

For many people, a new year doesn’t begin in January, but starts when the kids go back to school. Summer is over, school supplies are purchased, the bus is disappearing in the distance. One supply that often goes overlooked at this time is a quality pair of kids glasses. Parents should make it part of their annual back-to-school routine to get little ones’ eyes checked so they have a productive and successful year in class. Oftentimes, kids don’t realize that there is anything wrong with their eyes because they just adapt to the world around them – it’s all they know – so regular exams while their eyes are still developing is a must. That part may not be so fun for them, but if they need glasses, picking out a frame can make the whole experience.

One of our little friends at Vizio Optic recently got a new pair of Etnia kids glasses, made from the same high-quality materials and with the same attention to detail as the adult collection. He picked out Etnia Gondor eyeglasses in blue with white accents, a frame made of lightweight metal to help lessen the distraction of wearing the new accessory. Adjustable nose pads keep the frame nice and snug as well to help avoid accidents.

Gondor also features plastic tips on the arms so the glasses sit comfortably over his ears. It is also offered in black with small orange accents.

Netflix is batting a thousand with its original and exclusive series – “Orange is the New Black,” “Arrested Development,” “Hemlock Grove” – but one of our favorites that has really stood out is “House of Cards,” starring Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright and Kate Mara. Wright plays the wife of a mischievous congressman Frank Underwood, looking gorgeous with her asymmetrical hairdo and more importantly, her chic, dark designer glasses.

We get a lot of requests to find out what various actors and actresses are wearing in movies and TV shows, and many people were wondering what Wright wears in “House of Cards.” This one was easy! Check out this photo for a good look. She’s wearing a pair of Ray Ban New Wayfarer eyeglasses in tortoise – a perfect complement to her blonde bob and fair skin.

The New Wayfarer is the opthalmic adaptation of the iconic Ray Ban Wayfarer sunglasses, with more rounded lenses that keep the look soft and more feminine. Each upper corner is embellished with a silver accent, while the temples boast a signature Ray Ban logo in silver on each side. The New Wayfarer is also available in shiny black, striped brown, as well as dark tortoise with orange, green or violet accents.

To make a purchase from the optical Ray Ban collection, please call Vizio Optic at 866-411-9428 or email sales@viziooptic.com.

If you haven’t heard, there’s a new brand we’re loving at Vizio Optic. It’s Mikli par Mikli, another beautiful collection of designer eyewear from French designer Alain Mikli. This line is a more affordable option, but still maintains the high quality and stunning designs that Mr. Mikli is known for in his eponymous collection. In this edition of Frame of the Week, our friend Juan takes his frame from the new brand for a spin.

Juan’s face shape can be described as square, meaning his forehead and jawline are of equal width. Flattering frames should mimic that symmetry, being neither top- nor bottom-heavy and maintaining a good balance so no features stand out more than others. Mikli par Mikli 1226 eyeglasses are a great choice, with only a slight flare along the outer edges of the rectangular frame.

We love the subtle gradient of these Mikli par Mikli eyeglasses. It keeps frame from being too dark, which can be a harsh contrast with some skin tones. The smokey grey bottom half also makes the large lenses feel less overwhelming. All in all, the 1226 is a fairly simple frame with a smart design. It is also available in crystal with black arms, tortoise with matte black arms, and red with grey arms.

Last year we talked about our love for glasses with a strong brow line, worn by actors like Zachary Quinto and Nick Kroll and highlighted in the The New York Times’ T Style Magazine’s Fall Fashion issue with a gorgeous frame from Tom Ford. While that model had a price tag up in the thousands, we have plenty of similar styles at a much more affordable price. This week, we’re highlighting a pair of ProDesign glasses worn by our friend Chris.

Chris chose ProDesign 7906 eyeglasses in color 6011, which feature strong brows in black that widen along the outer edge. The bottom half of the lenses are surrounded by a thinner strip of black, while the top-set bridge in the center stands out in complementary gray. Adjustable nose pads give Christ customized comfort as well. The acetate arms are matching in black, but the inner surface adds a little more character with its striped pattern.

We love how this frame has a retro sense of style mixed with modern details. ProDesign is an award-winning brand that is regularly honored for its design chops, so blending the past and present makes this particular frame very interesting. The 7906 model is also available in brown and gold. For more information on how to purchase these frames, email us at info@viziooptic.com or call 866-411-9428 to speak to a member of our customer service team.